Injecting self-executing function as value in JS object - javascript

I am writing a simple library that will read values from an object given a string property.
Is it possible to read the property but have a function execute without actually invoking the function?
something like:
var obj = {
fn : (function malicious(){ deleteLotsOfFiles();
})()
}
if I do
var foo = obj.fn;
is there a way just by reading the property to execute a (malicious) function?

The malicious function would have already executed anyway before you even referenced it. Once the function is parsed by the engine, it is executed straight away (self-invoking).

var obj = {
get fn() { deleteLotsOfFiles(); }
};
// later
var o = obj; // deleteLotsOfFiles has not been executed
console.log(o.fn); // you just deleted lots of files

An alternative
var o = Object.defineProperty(o, 'baz', {
get: function(){
console.log("Delete Everything!");
}
});
Then access o.baz and they are deleted
More Information on getters from MDN
Sometimes it is desirable to allow access to a property that returns a
dynamically computed value, or you may want to reflect the status of
an internal variable without requiring the use of explicit method
calls.
Seems pretty much like what you want to do.

Related

Exception when calling a self-executing function in an object literal

I'm trying to set a field's value to a function, then execute it. this.fetchLocalStorage is not a function is what I get from running it.
var app = {
busdata: (function(){return this.fetchLocalStorage()})(),
fetchLocalStorage: function() {
//fetching
return "fetching data...";
}
};
console.log(app.busdata);
Note that by not making it a self-executing function, it works, but then it would mean the function is called everytime when I only need to fetch the data one time.
busdata: function(){return this.fetchLocalStorage()}
/* ... */
console.log(app.busdata()); //this calls the function every time :(
Thought it might a context problem so I tried a couple things with bind and call but with no luck.
Am I missing something?
this is only bound to the object when you call a method of the object, i.e. app.someMethod(). But you're trying to call fetchLocalStorage() when you're creating the object, not in a method of the object, so this is whatever the outer context is, which is likely the global window object.
You can't refer to other properties of the object until after the object has been created. So just call the function normally after you create the object.
var app = {
fetchLocalStorage: function() {
//fetching
return "fetching data...";
}
};
app.busdata = app.fetchLocalStorage();
I think your params were on the wrong side of the brace.
busdata: (function(){return this.fetchLocalStorage()}() ),

Is it possible to get the local variable and parameter values with window.onerror

I have a simple javascript error logging mechanism in place and it looks somewhhat like this:
window.onerror = function (ErrorMsg, Url, LineNumber, Col, Error) {
// ajax these to the server, including Error.stack}
The problem is that I'd also like to get the value of the local variables and function parameters when the error occurred. Is this even possible?
I'm thinking about modifying the Function prototype so that each time a function runs, its arguments are stored in a global array of strings and then the error handler would just add this array to the ajax call. Can JavaScript do this?
#1 Can local scope be recovered in onerror() without black magic?
Without this being bound in the scope of window.onerror() or the surrounding variables being directly accessible, it's impossible to regain access to the variables you had set.
What you're mostly wanting access to is this.arguments or arguments or the equivalent, but that's destroyed. Any hope of obtaining a key-value associative array or hash-like object would involve meta-programming ( i.e. reading the function definition to obtain the variable names, and obtaining an exception report to attempt to salvage data ).
See this answer for more on something similar:
Getting All Variables In Scope
But this "lacking functionality" is a good thing:
If you could gain access to what you're asking for, that would likely be a fault in the Javascript engine. Why? Because the variable states and contents themselves are what caused the exception/error, assuming bad code wasn't the issue to begin with.
In other words, if you could get access to a faulty variable, that might be a door into an infinite loop:
Failure due to variable contents.
Error handler triggered.
Trace contents of variable.
Failure due to variable contents.
Error handler triggered.
Trace contents of variable.
Etc.
#2 Can Javascript store all arguments of every function call by voodoo?
Yes. It can. This is probably a really bad idea ( see #1 ) but it is possible. Here is a pointer on where to start:
Is there a way to wrap all JavaScript methods with a function?
From there, what you're wanting to do is push this.arguments or equivalent to a stack of function calls. But again, this is approaching insanity for many reasons. Not the least of which is the need to duplicate all the values, lest you reference mutated variables, or be unable to access the data at all... and like I said above, the problem of bad data in general. But still, it is possible.
Is this even possible?
No. A stack trace is proof that the stack has unwound, all stack frames and all the local variables they contained are gone. As for getting the name of a variable, that is not even possible at run time.
To start off i accept #Tomalak completely.
I was also put in your situation where i needed to debug a remote running app in case of crash.
As a work around I have forked my code for you in a fiddler. Please modify according to your need.
Caveat: You have to wrap the function body with try{..}catch(e){..} as illustrated in the fiddler code.
Please read the inline comments for understanding.
window.onerror = function (errorMsg, url, lineNumber, column, errorObj) {
console.log(errorObj);
}
window.addEventListener("reportOnError", function(e){
console.log(e.detail);
/*Send to the server or any listeners for analysis.*/
//Http.send(e.detail);
});
function ExceptionReport(ex, args, scope) {
var self = {};
self.message = ex.message;
self.stack = ex.stack;
self.name = ex.name;
self.whoCalled = args.callee.caller.name == "" ? "Window": args.callee.caller.name;
self.errorInFunction = args.callee.name;
self.instanceOf = scope.constructor;
self.KeyPairValues = getParamNames(arguments.callee.caller.toString(), Array.prototype.slice.call(args)); //Contains the parameters value set during runtime
window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('reportOnError', {'detail':self}));
}
//Utilties
function getParamNames(fnBody, values) {
var STRIP_COMMENTS = /((\/\/.*$)|(\/\*[\s\S]*?\*\/))/mg,
ARGUMENT_NAMES = /([^\s,]+)/g,
result = fnBody.slice(fnBody.indexOf('(')+1, fnBody.indexOf(')')).match(ARGUMENT_NAMES),
obj={};
fnBody.replace(STRIP_COMMENTS, '');
if(result !== null){
for(var i=0; i < result.length; i++){
obj[result[i]] = values.length !==0 ? values[i] : null;
}
}else{
obj = null;
}
return obj;
}
/*
This is a testing/sample function that throws the error
*/
function testing(a,b,c){
try{
dummy(1,2) ; //This line throws the error as reference error.
}catch(e){
ExceptionReport(e, arguments, this);
}
}
//Class Emulation: For instanceof illustration.
function testingClass(){
this.testing = testing;
}
//Named self executing function: This calls the function
var myvar = (function myvar(){
testing(1,2,3);
})();
//Illustrating instanceof in exception
var myVar2 = new testingClass();
myVar2.testing(1,2,3);
//Calling from global scope this is Window
testing(1,2,3);
//Without variables
testing();
I have used examples to illustrate the behavior of functions called in different circumstances.
Below signifies the varialble used for
self.KeyPairValues : Used to store the function parameter set/passed during runtime
self.errorInFunction : This stores the name of the function error was caused in.
self.whoCalled : This stores the function name that invoked the defective function
self.instanceOf : This stores the name of the instance is called creating a new instance.
Other variables are same as in Error object
The others answers here are spot on, but I might be able to offer a suggestion for a slightly different way to accomplish this. Instead of trying to track all scope in your program, why not add a tagging function that tracks the scope of one function's parameters without affecting the runtime of the function. For for example:
var globalRecord = {};
function record(name, fn) {
return function () {
var args = [].slice.call(arguments);
var record = globalRecord[name] = {
args: args,
arg: {}
};
args.unshift(function (name, value) {
return record[name] = value;
});
fn.apply(args, arguments);
}
}
// Then, you track variables like this
var func = record("func", function (record, a, b, c) {
record("a", a); // named parameters are accessible now
record("b", b); // if some error occurs in the function body
return a + b + c;
});
// Calling func still behaves as before.
func(1, 2, 3);
// Errors handled like this:
window.onerror = function () {
globalRecord.func.args; // ==> last set of arguments past to function
globalRecord.func.arg.a; // specific arguments recorded with names
};
You could even use this method to track scope without using a function by anonymously calling the recorded function.
record("test", function (record) {
var a = record("a", /* whatever */);
var b = record("b", /* ... */ );
// do scope specific stuff that might fail
})();
Of course, this isn't a polished implementation by any stretch, but with a little work, I think you might be able to get the behavior you're looking for without any seriously black magic. By selectively adding and removing record calls as the need presents itself, you can have precise control over what is logged without any intrusive hacks.
You can find your answer in this link.
Before taking bundles from the server, you must modify them. For example, to solve your problem, you can do changes in the mentioned link as follows. In the BuildBundleContent Class make this change:
contents.Insert(blockContentIndex,
string.Format("if(customErrorLogging)customErrorLogging({0}, this){1}",
errVariable, hasContent ? ";" : ""));
If in the modules you have to use something like:
var self = this;
You can use:
contents.Insert(blockContentIndex,
string.Format("if(customErrorLogging)customErrorLogging({0}, self ? self : this){1}",
errVariable, hasContent ? ";" : ""));
And in added js file:
"use strict";
var customErrorLogging = function (ex, module) {
console.log(module);
//do something...
};
I hope help you.

this in javascript

I'm having a confusing problem using 'this' in javascript. I have a method 'get_data' which returns me some member variable of an object. Sometimes it returns to me the object itself... I have no idea why. Can someone explain what is happening here?
function Feed_Item(data) {
this.data = data;
this.get_data = function() {
return this.data;
}
this.foo = function() {
return this.foo2();
}
this.foo2 = function() {
//here type of this.data() == Feed_Item!!! It should be of type Data
}
this.bar = function() {
//here type of this.data() == Data, as I'd expect
}
}
What 'this' is in JavaScript depends on how you call the function. If 'this' is not bound to an object, this will be the window object.
If you call
item = new Feed_Item()
item.foo() //foo will be called with correct 'this'
But if you do Feed_Item(some_data), you will add a couple of functions to the global window object.
There are a lot of articles explaining this, e.g. http://www.digital-web.com/articles/scope_in_javascript/
A good blog post that explains "this" is available here: http://www.scottlogic.co.uk/2010/05/what-is-this/
Essentially the definition of this is:
The value of this is determined at the point at which the function is invoked, and is set to the object on which the function is invoked
However sometimes it's not easy to figure out exactly what that object is. This is because it depends on how the function is invoked. You can even dynamically set the value of this by invoking the function via its call method e.g.
window.str = "hello";
var fn = function(){
alert(this.str);
};
fn();
Running this code in the browser console gives hello which is the value of str on the global window object, however if you run:
fn.call({
str: 'goodbye'
}, []);
You get 'goodbye', as the context has been changed to the object passed in. Some libraries e.g. JQuery, ExtJS, ... make use of this feature to make then easier to use.

javascript OOP Confusion [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Closed 11 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
Javascript OOP return value from function
I have a class defined like this
function SocialMiner(tabUrl)
{
var verbose=true;
var profileArray=new Array();
this.tabUrl=tabUrl;
this.getTabUrl=function(callback)
{
chrome.tabs.getSelected(null, function(tab)
{
callback(tab.url);
});
}
this.setTabUrlValue=function(pageUrl)
{
this.tabUrl=pageUrl;
console.log("22"+this.tabUrl); //this statement shows url correctly
}
}
When I call this method like these
miner.getTabUrl(miner.setTabUrlValue);
miner.logToConsole("1"+miner.tabUrl); //This statement returns undefined
The console.log inside callback correctly outputs url , however, the tabUrl property of miner ojbect is undefined , as seen in second console.log. Why is it so ?
The solution is to save a reference to this within the constructor (available later on via closure):
var that = this; //in the top of the SocialMiner constructor function
and in setTabUrlValue use:
that.tabUrl=pageUrl;
I suspect running a method as a function (callback) loses scope, i.e. doesn't know of any this anymore. In other words, it runs within the scope of the constructor, not as a method of the instance using it. A variable referencing this in the constructor scope is available to the function, and that points to the right this on instance creation.
You could also force callback to run in the current instance scope like this:
callback.call(this,tab.url);
In that case you can leave this.tabUrl=pageUrl; as it is.
This is an simplification of your code. The methods return this to be able to directly reference a property of the instance (see console.log last line):
function Some(){
var that = this; // note: not used in this example
this.getA = function(callback){
someval = 'foobar';
callback.call(this,someval);
return this;
};
this.getB = function(val){
this.val = val;
return this;
};
}
var some = new Some;
console.log( some.getA(some.getB).val ); //=> foobar
Taking a look # your code again, I think you're loosing scope twice, because callback is called from within another callback. That's why I think your code on that spot should be:
chrome.tabs.getSelected(
null,
function(tab) {
callback.call(that,tab.url); //< use that here
}
);
Furthermore, in you code # github, I don't see any instantiation of the miner instance.
this is a tricky beast in JavaScript and as others have pointed out is the key to the issue. The problem with using this everywhere is that it's value can change depending on who/where the function is called from (for example, see the call and apply methods in JavaScript). I'm guessing that if you wrote the value of this to the console in the the callback from the chrome.tabs.getSelected function you'd find it isn't your miner any more.
The solution is to capture a reference to the this that you're actually interested in when you know for sure it's the right one & then use that reference from then on. Might make more sense to see it commented in-line in your example:
function SocialMiner(tabUrl)
{
//At this point we know "this" is our miner object, so let's store a
//reference to it in some other (not so transient) variable...
var that = this;
var verbose=true;
var profileArray=new Array();
this.tabUrl=tabUrl;
this.getTabUrl=function(callback)
{
chrome.tabs.getSelected(null, function(tab)
{
//at this point "this" is whatever the "chrome.tabs.getSelected"
//method has decided it is (probably a reference to the tab or something)
callback(tab.url);
});
}
this.setTabUrlValue=function(pageUrl)
{
//because this can be called from anywhere, including the chrome callback
//above, who knows what "this" refers to here (but "that" is definitely
//still your miner)
that.tabUrl=pageUrl;
console.log("22"+that.tabUrl);
}
}
You can see how much this shifts around in libraries that use callbacks heavily like jQuery, where often this is set to convenient values, but certainly not the same this that was logically in scope when you made the initial call.
EDIT: Looking at the full source (& example) you posted, this is just a timing issue where obviously the chrome.tabs.getSelected is returning asynchronously after your "second" call to log goes through...
console.log("5");
miner.getTabUrl(miner.setTabUrlValue); //setTabUrlValue is logging with '22'
console.log("6");
miner.logToConsole("1"+miner.tabUrl);
console.log("7");
// Output:
5
6
1 undefined //the chrome.tabs.getSelected hasn't returned yet...
7
22 http://url //now it has (so if you tried to use miner.tabUrl now you'd be all good...
The solution is to put all the stuff after the get/set into the callback, since you don't want anything happening until after that tabUrl is finished being set... so something like this:
console.log("5");
miner.getTabUrl(function(pageUrl) {
miner.setTabUrlValue(pageUrl);
console.log("6");
miner.logToConsole("1"+miner.tabUrl);
console.log("7");
});
Hopefully that will see you getting your results in the order you expect them.
I think this happens because closure vars do not survive a function call.

can you say this is a right example of Javascript Closure.. Where the places we need to consider avoiding the closures?

Problem & Reason
One of my team mate ended up in messy situtaion implementing function hooking in javascript. this is the actual code
function ActualMethod(){
this.doSomething = function() {
this.testMethod();
};
this.testMethod = function(){
alert("testMethod");
};
}
function ClosureTest(){
var objActual= new ActualMethod();
var closeHandler = objActual.doSomething;
closeHandler();
closeHandler.apply(objActual,arguments); //the fix i have added
this.ActualTest = function() {
alert("ActualTest");
};
}
In the above code, var closeHandler is created in the context of ClosureTest(), but it holds the handler of the ActualMethod.doSomething. Whenever calling the closeHandler() ended up in "object doesnt support this method" error.
This is because doSomething() function calls another method inside called this.testMethod();. Here this refers to the context of the caller not callee.so i assume the closeHandler is bound to the environment(ClosureTest) actually created.Even though it holds the handler to the another context, it just exposes the properties of its own context.
Solution
To avoid this i suggest to use apply to specify the conext in which it needs to execute.
closeHandler.apply(objActual,arguments);
Questions
is it perfect scenario for closures..??
What are the intersting places you have encountered closures in javascript..?
UPDATE
Yes its simple i can call the method directly. but the problem is, in a particular scenario I need to intercept the call to actuall method and run some code before that, finally execute the actual method..
say for an example, am using 3rd party aspx grid library, and all the mouseclick events are trapped by their controls. In particular group by mouse click i need to intercept the call to their ilbrary method and hook my mthod to execute instead and redirect the call to actual library method
hope this helps
Update: Because you probably left out some details in your code, it is difficult to adapt it into something workable without missing the point of your actual code. I do think I understand your underlying problem as you describe it. I hope the following helps.
Suppose the following simple example:
// Constructor function.
function Example() {
// Method:
this.method = function() {
alert("original method");
}
}
// You would use it like this:
var obj = new Example();
obj.method(); // Calls original method.
To intercept such a method call, you can do this:
function wrap(obj) {
var originalMethod = obj.method;
obj.method = function() {
alert("intercepted call");
originalMethod.apply(this, arguments);
}
return obj;
}
var obj = wrap(new Example());
obj.method(); // Calls wrapped method.
Unfortunately, because method() is defined in the constructor function, not on a prototype, you need to have an object instance to wrap the object.
Answer to original question: The doSomething() function is used as a method on objects created with ActualMethod(). You should use it as a method, not detach it and use it as a function in a different context. Why don't you just call the method directly?
function ClosureTest(){
var objActual = new ActualMethod();
// Call method directly, avoid messy apply() calls.
objActual.doSomething();
this.ActualTest = function() {
alert("ActualTest");
};
}
If you assign a method (a function on some object) to a local variable in Javascript and call it, the context will be different (the value of this changes). If you don't want it to happen, don't do it.
When I want to hook a function, I use the following Function method which is also a fine piece of Closure demonstration:
Function.prototype.wrap = function (wrapper) {
var __method = this;
return function() {
var __obj = this;
var args = [ __method.bind(__obj) ];
for(var i=0; i<arguments.length; i++) args.push(arguments[i]);
return wrapper.apply(__obj, args);
}
};
Then do something like:
ActualMethod = ActualMethod.wrap(function (proceed, option) {
// ... handle option
proceed(); // calls the wrapped function
});
proceed is bound to its initial object, so you can safely call it.

Categories